Government of Timor-Leste

The Members of the 8th Constitutional Government met at the auditorium of the Ministry of Finance on August 6th, 2021, to review and address the challenges identified in the management and response to natural disasters and clarify issues related to the implementation of the frontline professionals' allowance.

During the meeting, the Government members made a diagnosis of the state of play of the reconstruction and humanitarian support projects, in response to the impacts of the floods of April 4th. This analysis focused mainly on identifying the main challenges identified during the implementation processes, in order to discuss possible solutions to address these challenges and to ensure the necessary coordination between the various State entities involved in these projects.

In addition to addressing the constraints detected in the ongoing reconstruction and emergency support processes, the discussion also aimed to ensure a reduction in the risk of new disasters and to guarantee a rapid and efficient response to future natural disasters.

Among the priority areas and activities discussed during the meeting, with a view to improving prevention, management and response to natural disasters, is the need to improve the legal framework, coordination and institutional development, data collection capacity, improvement of early warning systems, strengthening community resilience, prevention and reduction of risk factors, and strengthening emergency response preparedness.

The members of the Government also saw clarification of some issues related to the implementation of the subsidy for frontline professionals, approved at the last meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Lastly, the Government Members also reviewed the progress of the implementation of the main projects financed by the COVID-19 Fund and their respective implementation rates. The implementation rate of the COVID-19 Fund, as at July 27th, had reached 39%, including commitments and obligations.